The only major destination on the green list is blessed with stunning beaches, verdant scenery and superb hotels and cottages. It sits on a hill looking down on to green Algarve countryside. There are seven suites white walls, high ceilings, floors of handmade terracotta tiles, private terraces in four houses around a central courtyard, with water fountain and black mosaic pool, terraces and gardens with lounge chairs, day beds and a bed hanging in a century-old oak tree.
Days can be spent walking in the countryside or taking a ferry over the Ria Formosa to barrier islands with white sand beaches. Everything is built from the land or salvaged and is simple compost toilets, for example. Founded by British artist Tom Leamon and a group of friends, the Beekeepers is on land belonging to Quinta da Fornalha, an award-winning biodynamic farm, with olive, carob and fruit trees. The breakfast here is beautiful as are the dinners and includes figs, guava and pitanga also known as Suriname or Brazilian cherry , cheeses, jams and fruit juice.
Just outside Castro Marim, this stylish but minimalist place has a wonderful hammam where guests can steam and bake and plunge in a structure that reflects the Moorish occupation and influence in Portugal. Also on site is the Corkbox, a yoga studio lined with cork and offering two free yoga classes a week. These country cottages are in an old quinta country estate , whose owners are trying to reclaim the Algarve wine tradition, which lost its way as land was turned over to tourist development.
Fig, olive and almond trees offer a shady post-lunch spot for a snooze. The estate is a five-minute drive from the town of Silves, with its Moorish castle. Three rooms have been created from the old pigsties, donkey stables and cellar, each with private entrance, garden and terrace.
An organic, vegan breakfast is served by the pool in summer. The farm grounds are peppered with cork, arbutus, carob and olive trees and there are biking and hiking trails nearby, as well as the beaches of the Algarve coast β beach towels and bicycles can be borrowed for free.
